Author Archives: Nancy Byerly Jones

Some attorneys tend to forget one or more of the basics of good customer service, causing many of their clients to become frustrated, confused and often beyond angry. With a commitment, a plan and a sincere, ongoing effort, attorneys can change those feelings.

August 27, 2014Comments Off on Firm partners must be more than just players

Like all driven professionals, law-firm partners sometimes can disappoint when it comes to dealing with colleagues’ personal problems. Still, too many partners don’t take the time to document their partnership/shareholder arrangements, much less spell out how they plan to handle potential problems.

August 6, 2013Comments Off on Beware of hidden dangers that could lead to malpractice

There are a number of all-too-well-known malpractice and grievance traps at a law firm: conflicts of interest, missed deadlines, lack of competency, confidentiality/fiduciary breaches, clerical errors, failure to document adequately and poor client relations. But other, hidden dangers could be ...

January 11, 2010Comments Off on Office morale deserves high priority status

Managing Your Practice If you were able to get a true reading of office morale for the past six months in your office, what would the data show≠ Would it indicate consistently high morale≠ Alarming low morale≠ Or something in ...

October 12, 2009Comments Off on The importance of treating 'non-lawyers' with respect

A couple of Twitter “tweets” I’ve read recently referenced a lawyer disciplined for allowing “non-lawyers” to do something that only a licensed attorney should have done. I really dislike the “n-l” word, so I suggested in a reply “tweet” that ...

October 12, 2009Comments Off on Preventing partnership implosions before it's too late

All too often, we hear about law firms or extended families that find themselves in the midst of highly emotional, extremely costly and messy disputes. These conflicts can be over a lot of little things or fallout from a major ...

December 15, 2008Comments Off on Lawyers have power within to weather tough, stressful times

There are few things we can count on with 100 percent assurance in these tough and frightening economic times. Our worlds are overwhelmed with uncertainty, and very few are immune to financial losses resulting from this global mess. But we ...

September 29, 2008Comments Off on The waste of 'seminar syndrome shame'

Lifestyle Most of us have suffered from seminar syndrome shame (SSS). It’s the “lost opportunity disease” that occurs when we expend valuable time and money on educational seminars only to accumulate continuing legal education (CLE) hours and nothing more. But ...

November 8, 2004Comments Off on Managing The 'Shoulds' Of Decision-Making

Special to Lawyers Weekly Choices. The fabric of our personal and professional lives is heavily interwoven with the decisions we have made or not made. Likewise, most of our choices have a direct or indirect, negative or positive impact on ...